


It'll be Brilliant

by MsJackofAllFandoms



Series: 30 Day Writing Challenge 2011 [8]
Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, My first Cabin Pressure fic, References to Gordon, sort of ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-18
Updated: 2011-09-18
Packaged: 2018-09-23 21:19:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9678095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsJackofAllFandoms/pseuds/MsJackofAllFandoms
Summary: Even when everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, Arthur can turn a situation on it's head in seconds. Martin wishes he had that skill, especially with his bad luck.Originally written in 2011





	

_Enthusiasm: en-thew-zee-az-uhm_  
/ɪnˈθjuːzɪaz(ə)m/  
–noun  
1) intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval

  
Martin looked at Arthur's cheery face. If he hadn't worked with him for so long, he wouldn't believe just how much the smaller things in life brought this man joy.  
  
“Really, Arthur? That's what you'd like for Christmas, a new mini hoover?”  
  
Arthur nodded, “Yeah, Skip! It'll be brilliant! I won't have to lug the big one around and i'll be able to keep the seats even cleaner and if any of the passengers spill anything, bam! I'll have my mini hoover.”  
  
“I can't flaw his logic there, Martin.” Interjected Douglas, “Especially not the 'bam' part.”  
  
“See Skip, even Douglas thinks it's a brilliant Christmas present.” Arthur's smile brightened. Luckily for him, Carolyn shouted him over to her before he could hear Douglas's reply.  
  
“I wouldn't have gone as far as Brilliant... Practical, may be.”  
  
Martin gave his head a little shake. It wasn't that he was surprised or exasperated; After knowing Arthur for so long, he didn't have it in him, it just confused him that's all. He sometimes wished he could see the world the way Arthur did.  
  
~  
  
“Don't worry, Skip! Mum won't fire you for a little thing like this. You've done far worse things that made her shout really loud! But she still kept you on as Captain.”  
  
Martin sighed. Arthur just didn't understand. Sometimes there were camels and there were straws and his latest mishap just might be the one to break the camels back. “I think my luck will have run out this time.”  
  
Arthur shook his head, “Don't say that. Look, if Mum gets Shouty and Loud like last time, I'll jump in and distract her. That way, by the time she gets back to what she was saying, she'll have forgotten what she was shouting about in the first place. People do it ALL the time.”  
  
Looking down at his leg where fresh plaster cast had barely dried, Martin wasn't so sure this plan of Arthur's would work. Not even the more thought through ones worked.   
  
“No offence Arthur, but I don't think a fake fire in a cupboard's going to distract her from this. I'm going to be unable to fly for six weeks. Even if she is distracted, one look at the cast on my leg and... it'll all come back to her.” He tried for a smile, but he knew he couldn't pull off a convincing one. “Thanks anyway though, Arthur.”  
  
“Don't worry Skip, I'll think of something.” Arthur patted him on the shoulder, “It'll be brilliant!”  
  
~  
  
Sometimes, Martin thought he had it pretty bad. What, with the Two-Jobs-But-Actually-Only-One-Pays-The-Bills-The-Other-Ones-Just-A-Time-Consuming-Hobby situation, living from Van Job payment to Van Job payment, surviving on Tesco Value Range and No Frills necessities. Failing his Pilot's License so many times, siblings he could never get along with, and his dad... Well, growing up hadn't been easy for him, be a walking, talking dissappointment in everyone's eyes.  
  
And then he met Arthur's Dad. Suddenly, Arthur's caring nature and willingness to make people happy made an awful lot of sense.   
  
And seeing the man before him, normally so happy and bursting with energy and life, so shaken and hurt... It wasn't normal. A universe with a sad Arthur was a very was a very opposite one indeed.  
  
To put it likely, it wasn't good. But Martin had never been good at comforting people. Children doubly so. Arthur wasn't a child, but he did have a childlike disposition. The last thing he wanted was to make a hash of it and upsetting him worse.  
  
If there was one thing he was good at, it was saying all the wrong things, or the right things in the worst possible way.  
  
Martin sighed and sat down next to Arthur, who was folding up a piece of paper as small as he could.   
  
“So,” he started, “That was your dad again.”  
  
“Yeah, that was Dad again.”  
  
Martin nodded. “Nice to see he remembered me.”  
  
“Probably because you're the Captain, Skip.” Arthur's smile didn't reach his eyes.  
  
Martin watched him as he unfolded the piece of paper and started folding it again, but in a different way so the small shape would turn out something different. Was it a distraction technique? Or was it genuine amusement at the different ways a piece of paper could be folded? With Arthur like this, it was surprisingly hard to tell.   
  
Martin looked around the room for inspiration. They were in Birmingham, there must be something good in Birmingham...  
  
“Come on Arthur, we'll go to that place you keep wanting to go to every time we land here. It'll be brilliant, I promise!”  
  
It felt like a miracle, but Arthur's face got a bit brighter and his smile almost reached his eyes. “Can we really, Skip?” He gave him an accusing eye, “You're not just saying that, are you?”  
  
Martin shook his head, “No, Arthur!” he said decidedly, “We shall go to the Birmingham Sea Life Aquarium and it really will be brilliant.”  
  
“National Sea Life Centre.”   
  
His voice might have been serious, but Martin was glad to see him looking a lot happier. “That's what I meant!” Trying to muster some enthusiasm for sea life creatures, even deadly ones was hard. But he could do it. Matin wasn't planning on failing at being a friend right now. “The National Sea Life Centre.”  
  
“BRILLIANT!”  
  
With Arthur, a little enthusiasm can go a long way.


End file.
